This invention relates generally to the monitoring of industrial equipment in operation, and more specifically to interfaces, systems and methods for monitoring performance of sorting and baling systems.
Compacting and baling loose solid waste materials into denser, more easily transported units, often referred to as bales, is common in refuse disposal and recycling and is used routinely, for example, at recycling centers, manufacturing facilities, and retail and wholesale stores to compress paper, textiles, metals, plastic, and other material. Equipment and machinery for producing the bales, often referred to as baler machines, are typically utilized to compress refuse material through the action of a powered ram that moves vertically or horizontally into and through a compression chamber. Using tons of pressure, the ram compresses the chamber contents into a relatively compact, dense bale of material, which is bound together using wire or twine, for example.
As recycling becomes more central to industrial and manufacturing processes, baling equipment plays an important role in efficient processing of recyclable materials. Effectively evaluating performance aspects of baler machines in use to achieve efficient and optimal operation of baler machines is challenging in a number of aspects and so far has been elusive.